Steve Morse has announced he’s getting the Steve Morse Band back together for the trio’s first tour in a decade.
Notably, the tour will also mark the electric guitar icon's first major musical activity since leaving Deep Purple last year.
Having reunited for a handful of shows already this year, the band – which comprises Morse, Van Romaine and Dave LaRue – have now laid out their formal touring agenda for the year, which will span seven dates across April and May.
It’s a notable return for the group, which joined forces for their first live show since 2019’s Morsefest show in February this year. In fact, February saw the trio perform five consecutive shows, presumably as a warmup ahead of this mini-tour.
Their 2023 tour will kick off in just two days (April 22) at the Rams Head in Annapolis, Maryland, and at the time of writing is scheduled to run until May 28. Visits to the states of Pennsylvania, Virginia, New York and Ohio are all penciled in.
According to the band’s site, though, more shows will be announced throughout 2023.
Of the upcoming tour, Morse said, “This mini tour is us getting back to what made us the happiest, musically. Working with friends you know and trust, playing snippets of the best part of your lives together is too much fun to call ‘work’.”
Morse reunites with Van Romaine and Dave LaRue after leaving Deep Purple in July 2022 in order to look after his wife, who is battling cancer. At first, Morse – who worked with the band for 28 years – announced a temporary hiatus from the band with hopes to return, though later confirmed his departure was permanent.
“We both miss being at shows, but I simply couldn't commit to long, or far away tours, since things can change quickly at home,” Morse said in a statement last year. At the time, the guitarist hinted at the possibility of “shorter nearby concert tours” to “get both of us out the house” – something that looks to have been made possible with the Steve Morse Band.
As for Deep Purple, Morse was replaced by blues rock guitar ace Simon McBride, who spoke to Guitar World soon after his appointment to speak about the “big boots” he had to fill in Morse’s wake.
For a full list of tour dates, head over to Steve Morse’s website.
